Bristol. From the streets to the Town Hall, the message is clear: these walls must fall!

The message from the streets…

On Saturday 8 December, hundreds of local campaigners marched through Bristol city centre, demanding an end to immigration detention. The crowd chanted “these walls must fall, detention centres close them all” as they passed through the city centre.

“We believe that the UK’s detention procedures have no place in society … it’s a national disgrace”

David Ion, one of the coordinators of These Walls Must Fall Bristol, said: “We believe that the UK’s detention procedures have no place in society and we are marching to show solidarity with those currently held in centres across the country as well as to speak out for a complete reform.

“Every day across the UK, including many in Bristol, people are being held for unlimited amounts of time and face being sent to countries where they could face serious danger. We believe that this is wrong, and a national disgrace.”

“We’re calling on Bristol City Council to pass this motion and show that they too are opposed to this horrific system. With their support, we can go even further towards showing that there is a huge demand behind detention and immigration reform, and hopefully make those feelings heard in Westminster where a real difference can be made.”

…And at the Town Hall

Green Councillors have submitted a motion to the Full Council meeting on 11 December), supporting calls for an end to immigration detention. The motion, proposed by Green councillor Fi Hance and seconded by Labour councillor Ruth Pickersgill, calls on Bristol’s Mayor to endorse the These Walls Must Fall Campaign, lobby the UK government, and work with local MPs and other councils to push for changes in immigration law and alternatives to detention.

By passing this motion and throwing its weight behind this great campaign, the Council can play an important role in pressuring national government and politicians, and show that Bristol refuses to be a hostile environment for migrants or asylum seekers.”

Green Councillor Fi Hance

“These Walls Must Fall’ is a really important national campaign that I hope the Council will support. As part of a wider deliberately hostile environment, this Government has allowed a situation to develop where asylum seekers and migrants can be detained for indefinite periods in prison conditions even when they have committed no crimes.

Labour Councillor Ruth Pickersgill

Bristol will be joining Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton and Hove, Cambridge, Islington and Lambeth as the first councils to pass These Walls Must Fall motions. Who will be next? For tips on getting a motion passed in your area, read here